"PC-BSD 1.1 was released today, along with a PBI update file for users running 1.0, who wish to update to 1.1. This release brings the core operating system up to the latest version of FreeBSD 6.1, adds better driver support to the kernel, and improves the speed on many systems." Update:Screenshots.

At the risk of inviting a possible flamewar, I'm agreeing with ThawkTH here. Well, not agreeing, just, I'm kind of in the same position he is I think.

I've been messing around with Desktop and Server Linux for a few years, just casually. So far my favorite distro has been Ubuntu, and Dapper seems to be -really- promising, especially when XGL gets to the point of being feature-rich, with proper (non-compiled) theming support, and some of the crash bugs are taken out.

But after about two months of daily desktop use, I got really frustrated with having my settings break on an update. Or having to scour wikis to try and figure out how I could have mp3 sound playback, which I could pause, and then watch a video clip in Firefox or in Flash, and get sound there too. Or heck, just to have Gaim or Kopete actually give me a noise when someone messaged me, while I played some music.

There are other annoyances that would bother me, but I was able to look past the majority, and had a fairly positive experience with Ubuntu. And yes, I know Dapper isn't officially ready for everyday use just yet - that's not what this post was about.

I've just heard that BSD is done a bit differently. More controlled, I guess? But I'd really like a non-FUD, non-OMG,MicrosoftIsTheDevil point of view on what BSD does better than Linux... and what BSD would most give me the 'feel' of Ubuntu or, dare I say, Windows, in that it's basically ready to go out of the box with a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop, with Centrino wireless?